Easy Pear Tea Cake

This cake has been a lifesaver recently when I've been asked to bring something to share for morning tea and have had very few ingredients to choose from. This is a really simple tea cake and while it might not be fancy it is absolutely delicious!

I have made it with pears, apples and blueberries and each one was sensational. Pears are in season right now though and their flavour really shines in this simple cake.

I'm hoping it freezes well as I will be making another one this week and freezing it to have for afternoon tea on moving day (7 days and counting - aaahhh!)

Easy Pear Tea Cake

1 1/2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
2 ts aluminium free baking powder
1/3 cup rice malt syrup
1 egg
125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled*
1 ts vanilla extract
pinch salt
400g just ripe pears, peeled cored and diced
a squeeze of lemon
1 tbs coconut sugar
1 ts cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line the base of a 20cm (8 inch) round sping-form cake tin.

Peel, core and dice the pears and squeeze of some lemon juice, tossing to coat the pieces and prevent them from going brown.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, then add the syrup, egg, butter and vanilla and mix to combine. It will form a dough rather than a batter. Press 3/4 of the mixture into the base of the tin and then scatter over the pears. Scatter the remaining dough over the top of the pears, like a crumble topping.

Combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle liberally over the top of the cake.

Bake for approx 40 minutes until it is golden brown, pulling away from the edges and a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides of pan and sliding onto your serving plate. It is very delicate when warm but would be delicious warm for dessert with cream.

*Dairy-free version - use coconut or macadamia oil in place of the melted butter.

Fluffy Father's Day Pancakes

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads!!! I hope you are all being spoilt this morning.

My hubby missed out on breakfast in bed this morning as we have to be up early and all pitch in to be ready for swimming at 8am. BUT I did make him a yummy breakfast. Apologies for the terrible photo, it was very dark and very early!

These were some of the lightest and fluffiest pancakes I've made, which you can't always say about pancakes made without wheat flour and buttermilk (I've made some real duds over the years believe me!).  Hubby and the kids LOVED them and they were the perfect start to Father's Day.

Hope you're having a great weekend :)

Fluffy Father's Day Pancakes

2 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1 tbs aluminium free baking powder
1 tbs coconut sugar
pinch salt
2 eggs
1 ts vanilla extract
270ml can Ayam coconut milk
1/2 -2/3 cup rice milk (or any  milk you like)
maple syrup and banana to serve
coconut oil for cooking

Place a large pan over medium heat.

In a large bowl place the flour, baking powder, coconut sugar and salt and whisk together. In a jug or small bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla, coconut milk and 1/2 cup of the milk together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until only just combined. The batter should be thick but if it is too thick and sticky add more milk, a little at a time until it is smooth and spoonable.

Drop some coconut oil into the pan and swirl to coat. Place spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan (I can fit 4 pancakes in my 10 inch pan). Cook until bubbles appear on the surface then turn and cook for another 2 minutes or so until golden brown and cooked through.

Place directly onto serving plates and top with sliced banana and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Well the house is officially ours!!! We picked up the keys this afternoon and the boys were thrilled with the big yellow bow tied on the front door.  So now it all begins in earnest. We have trades booked to start sanding and polishing the floors upstairs first thing in the morning as well as measuring the stairs for new carpet. So much to do and so little time! Moving day is Monday 14th so we are officially on a countdown now.

I knew this afternoon would be a whirlwind so I took the time this morning to make something easy and delicious for afternoon tea. These are easily the best cookies I've made for ages. The rice flour gives them a little shortbready crunch and the big chunks of chocolate are a great surprise. SO tasty and they were mixed, baked and ready to eat within 30 minutes.

I guarantee you'll have happy little campers if you make these for afternoon tea!!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 1/4 cups wholemeal spelt flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 ts bicarb soda
1/4 ts salt
4 tbs rice malt syrup
4 tbs coconut oil, melted
1 ts vanilla extract
50g dark chocolate (Lindt 70% is good for this), roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius. Line  baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place on the prepared tray.

TMX - place all ingredients except chocolate in mixing bowl and mix for 10 secs / SP 4. Add the chocolate and mix on reverse / 6 secs / SP 3.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. They will still be soft but will firm up once they cool to become crunchy around the edges and chewy in the middle, just the way I like them!

Makes approx 16.

Happy birthday to me! and a chocolate-orange celebration cake

Actually that should read happy birthday to us as my husband and I are lucky enough to share the same birthday! Being Sunday we had to get up early to get the kids to swimming for 8am and also do some more packing and cleaning in preparation for our move. But after lunch we got to relax a little and we had family over for birthday cake for afternoon tea and Indian takeaway for dinner (I refuse to cook dinner on my birthday!).

Now some people might think it's a bit sad having to make your own birthday cake but as a baker I really enjoy it and bonus, I know exactly what's in it and can tweak the recipe to suit our needs.

Chocolate and orange is one of my all time favourite combinations and after much (much, much) thought I decided to make a chocolate cake, sweet orange curd, orange jelly and a chocolate swiss meringue buttercream. Wow it sounds decadent when you write it out like that!

We are mostly sugar-free (fructose-free) in this house and while I wanted this cake to be special I didn't want to go overboard on the sugar. My sweeteners of choice these days are rice malt syrup (which although processed is fructose-free and a great alternative to honey and golden syrup) and coconut sugar (which does contain fructose but is unrefined). I also wanted to use spelt rather than wheat flour and no dairy other than the grassfed butter we use everyday.

I made a few small changes to the recipes I found and was really happy with the result. Everyone loved the cake and it was certainly impressively tall! It had all the flavour I was hoping for and it wasn't too sweet.

I popped the cake in the fridge for an hour or so which was a mistake as it seemed to dry the cake out a little (I know it was really moist before that as I got to eat the trimmings - cook's privilege!).  It would be much better to simply assemble the cake as close as possible to serving and leave it at room temperature until ready.

I especially loved this cake and it will become my go-to spelt chocolate cake from now on!

Spelt Chocolate Cake
Slightly adapted from Bake with Spelt
makes 2 x 8 inch cakes

230g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 ts vanilla extract
300g white spelt flour
40g raw cacao
1 tbs aluminium free baking powder
80ml (1/3 cup) rice milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius fan-forced. Grease and line the bases of 2 x 8 inch round baking pans.

Using a stand mixer, thermomix or electric beaters, beat together the butter and coconut sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, cacao and baking powder then add to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 25-35 minutes. The cakes will have pulled away from the sides a little, spring back in the middle and a skewer inserted into the middle will come out clean (mine took 31 minutes).

Leave in the pans to cool for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely on a wire rack.


Sweet Orange Curd
Adapted from Tenina

200g rice malt syrup
zest of 2 oranges and 1 lemon
200g fresh orange juice
240g cold butter, cut in cubes
1 ts corn flour
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks

Place butter into the thermomix bowl and chop 5 seconds / SP 5.

Add all remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes / 80 degrees / SP 5.

Cook for a further 3 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 6.

Pour into sterilised glass jars. Place in the fridge once cooled.


Fresh Orange Jelly

500ml fresh orange juice, strained to remove the pulp
1 1/2 tbs gelatin powder (I use Great Lakes)

Grease and line the base of an 8 inch round cake pan.

Place the orange juice into a small pot over low heat. Once the juice is just warm to touch, turn off the heat and sprinkle over the gelatin, whisking continuously until it is completely dissolved and there are no lumps.

Pour immediately into the prepared pan and refrigerate until needed.


Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Slightly adapted from Thermomix Recipe Community

85g egg whites, at room temperature
170g coconut sugar
pinch of salt
340g unsalted butter, very cold and cut into cubes
100g 85% dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Make sure the thermomix bowl is completely clean, dry and free of grease.

Weigh in the coconut sugar and mill for 1 minute / SP 9.

Weigh in the egg whites and salt and mix for 3 minutes / 60 degrees / SP 3.

Check that the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a small amount of the mixture between your thumb and finger. It should be completely smooth. If not, repeat for another minute or so.

Insert the butterfly and whip for 10 minutes / SP 4 until the bowl is only slightly warm and the mixture is glossy and has double in volume.

With the machine running on SP 3 for 6-8 minutes, add the butter a few pieces at a time. Once it is all incorporated, pour in the melted and cooled chocolate and whip until light and fluffy.

Use immediately or keep in the fridge until required (bring back to room temperature and re-whip with the butterfly on SP 4.

To assemble the cake

Choose your favourite large cake plate or stand and place a small dollop of the buttercream in the middle to secure the cake.

Trim the tops from each cake if they have domed and then slice each cake evenly in half horizontally so you have 4 layers.

Place one half down on the plate and top with 1/3 of the orange curd. Spread evenly to the edges. Top with another cake half and press down lightly. Smooth over a tablespoon of curd and then carefully place on the prepared jelly. Top with another tablespoon of curd and another layer of cake. Repeat with another cake layer and 1/3 orange curd.

Top with final layer of cake.

Cover top and sides of cake with buttercream icing.

Best assembled close to serving and kept at room temperature until ready.

Serves 12 (at least)

So there you go!! A marathon recipe but none of the components are too tricky and best of all, I was able to keep it free of wheat and refined sugar!

Banana Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze (SRC)

Secret Recipe Club reveal day seems to have come around very quickly this month, which is a bit of a worry because that means it is exactly 3 weeks today until we move and there is SO much still to do!

Luckily Lynn from my assigned blog for this month Turnips 2 Tangerines has provided lots of inspiration for snacks to keep us going amidst all the boxes and associated clutter.

I was excited to learn that Lynn is from Wisconsin as that is where I spent a very happy semester finishing my law degree at Marquette University in Milwaukee. I have so many great food memories from my time there including buttery chargrilled corn at Summerfest, visiting Bella's Fat Cat for frozen custard and enjoying brats on the grill at a 4th of July picnic (oh and the brats MUST be cooked in beer first before being grilled for best results).

I spent ages on Lynn's blog and lots of recipes caught my eye. Lynn's Chicago Style Hot Dog looked just like what I remember but unfortunately we can't get any of those authentic ingredients here in Australia. I also drooled over her Popcorn and Peanut Mix which my boys would love and these Gingerbread Scones with Maple Syrup Glaze sound amazing and very Christmassy.

But if you have spent any time here you will know we love bananas and peanut butter so when I came across Lynn's Banana Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze the search was over.

Now I was in Wisconsin during summer and it was gorgeous but in her post for these brownies Lynn mentions the high for the day was going to be -5. That's -20 degrees Celsius and so cold I can't even imagine it! Where I live it is considered freezing if the maximum doesn't go above about 15.

You really can't go wrong with a combination of chocolate, banana and peanut butter and these brownies don't disappoint. Moist and sweet and completely moreish, my boys devoured these and they were all gone in a day.  Perfect for afternoon tea with a big glass of milk.

We only had medium peanut butter so my glaze wasn't smooth but the little bit of extra crunch just added to the deliciousness.

Banana Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze
Adapted from Turnips 2 Tangerines

For the brownies:
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tbs raw cacao
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ts vanilla extract
1/2 cup gluten free flour
1 ts baking powder
1/4 t salt (I used salted butter so left this out)
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 2 small bananas)
1/2 cup 85% dark chocolate roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 11 x 7 baking pan and set aside.

In large bowl combine the flour, sugar, cacao, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, eggs, mashed banana and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and fold through. Stir in the chocolate.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake.

Once cooled, pour over the glaze. 

For the glaze:
1/2 cup 70% dark chocolate roughly choppped
2 tbs natural peanut butter
1 tbs rice malt syrup
pinch salt

In a small pan over low heat, combine the chocolate, syrup and peanut butter. Stir until smooth and immediately pour over the brownies and smooth the top.

Thanks for a great recipe Lynn, it has become a family favourite!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Healthy Orange Jellies

When you think of healthy foods I'm pretty sure jelly isn't the first thing that springs to mind! But did you know you can make a jelly that is not only delicious but healing too?

I've been reading about and experimenting with all sorts of gut healing foods lately and one ingredient that continually appears is gelatin. Not all gelatin is created equal though and it is important to source a high quality product. I use Great Lakes Gelatin (red label) which I bought online from iHerb at less than half the price you can buy it in Australia.

Gelatin is packed full of protein, collagen and minerals all of which help to support healthy gut and immune function. A great source of gelatin is bone broth which I have been making all winter as a base for soups and casseroles and even just drinking warm with a pinch of salt. You can read about the benefits of bone broth here and here.

Two of my three boys love bone broth and the savoury meals I make with it but Mr 4 won't go near it in any form. This jelly however has become a favourite treat and I know he's getting all the health benefits he needs.

The ginger, turmeric and Manuka honey are all brilliant for coughs and colds and combined with hydrating coconut water and the vitamin-C from the orange juice this makes one seriously healthy jelly!

Healthy Orange Jellies
Adapted from Well Nourished

1 cup coconut water
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (I got enough from 3 large oranges)
2 cm piece of fresh ginger
1/4 ts dried turmeric
1-2 tbs Manuka honey
3 tbs good quality gelatin powder

Oil and line a small slice/brownie pan and set aside.

Squeeze your oranges and measure out 1 cup of juice into a heatproof jug (mine was pyrex).

Place the coconut water, ginger and turmeric in a medium pan over low-medium heat. Bring to the simmer and allow to steep for 5 minutes.

Pour the coconut water mixture through a sieve into the orange juice. Stir to combine then return to the pan by pouring through the sieve again to remove any orange pulp (my juice was cold from the fridge so my mixture was just luke-warm. Allow to cool slightly before adding the Manuka honey if your mixture feels hot to touch).

Add the honey and stir to combine.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the warm liquid, one tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Continue whisking until the gelatin is completely absorbed. If you have lumps of gelatin return the pan to the heat but don't let it get more than luke-warm.

Pour the mixture through the sieve into the prepared pan and place in the fridge to set for a few hours.

I give the kids a couple of pieces a day and it lasts for about 1 week in the fridge. 

Gluten-free Orange Shortbread Cookies

With citrus so abundant and so delicious at the moment I've been looking for different ways to use it. One of my favourite things is a whole orange and almond cake which I've been meaning to blog about for ages. Today though I felt like making biscuits and came up with these little gems.

I've been doing lots of experimenting with different flours for baking lately and while none of us have coeliac, I know I at least feel so much better when I limit the amount of gluten that I eat. You can buy some great gluten free flours these days but I prefer to make my own as it lets me choose the recipe that best suits what I am baking.

My top 2 gluten free flour recipes are from The Holistic Ingredient and Gluten-free-Girl.

For these shortbread cookies I used the Gluten-free-Girl recipe which gives a light, crisp and slightly crumbly result, perfect for shortbread. This one doesn't contain xanthan gum so I added a tablespoon of linseed meal which has similar properties.

You will notice there is a lot (a LOT) of butter in these cookies and as you mix them up you will probably see butter beginning to ooze out of the mixture. When I first made them I wondered whether I'd made a huge mistake but actually the end result is amazing and there is no extra butter to be seen - just perfect little shortbread cookies which are crisp, short and crumbly and beautifully fragrant from the orange zest. The house smelt spectacular while they were baking and made for a delicious afternoon snack with a cup of ginger tea.

Whether you need to be gluten free or not, with treats like these you certainly won't feel like you are missing out!

Gluten free Orange Shortbread Cookies

2 1/4 cups gluten-free plain flour
1 tbs linseed meal
1 ts baking powder
1/2 cup coconut sugar
zest of 1 large orange
1 ts vanilla extract
250g salted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line 2 trays with baking paper and set aside.

Place the dry ingredients into a large bowl and add the orange zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the flour mix until well combined. Add the wet ingredients and mix well.

Roll into small balls and place on the prepared trays. They don't spread very much so they can be placed quite closely together.

Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for approx 12 minutes. They will be golden brown and firm to touch. Leave to cool on the trays for 5 minutes before placing on wire racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Delicious Dairy-free Lasagne

One of my all-time favourite meals is lasagne. Always has been and probably always will be! It has also been a favourite of my kids and I have some gorgeous photos of each of them on their first birthday pretty much covered in it from head to toe! Now that they are older they get to choose what they want to eat for their birthday dinner and Oscar, bless him, still always choose lasagne.

When I first had to give up dairy I really thought there was no way I could give up cheese. My husband used to call me a cheese-freak but now I haven't touched any for more than 18 months. Go me!

After so many dairy-free months I have perfected my dairy-free white sauce and use it for all sorts of recipes from tuna mornay to macaroni and 'cheese' and of course lasagne. I use the thermomix to make it because it's just so easy but you can of course do it on the stove top and I have included those instructions as well.

Go ahead and try it, I promise you won't miss the cheese at all!!!

Dairy free White Sauce

500ml rice milk (or any non-dairy milk)
50g olive oil
50g rice flour
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 ts salt
1/8 ts nutmeg
pepper to taste

Thermomix - place all ingredients in the mixing bowl and cook for 7 minutes / 90 degrees / SP 4.

Stove top - heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice flour and whisk  together. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly then add the milk and whisk to combine. Once smooth add all remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Use immediately.

To assemble the lasagne just alternate layers of Vegie-loaded Bolognaise sauce with lasagna sheets (gluten free work well) and dairy-free white sauce ending with lots of white sauce on the top. Bake for approx 45 minutes at 180 degrees C or until the pasta is tender and the top is bubbly and golden.

Spicy Carrot Loaf Cake and some news

Oh it feels like ages since I've been here! The last month or so has been a bit of a blur of phone calls and emails but it feels like the right time now to share our news ... we bought a house!!! After being in a rented townhouse for the past 5 years we are thrilled that soon we will have a house of our own. We are moving in the middle of September and have already started packing. We've accumulated a lot of stuff as well as had 2 more children since we moved in here and there is a lot of sort out. I'm loving the chance for a clear out though and we have passed on bags and bags of stuff to the Salvos already.

In all the busyness my diet has slipped a little and my health started suffering as a result. Nothing major but constant colds and the stress of studying for exams and house-hunting took their toll on my thyroid and I've been feeling exhausted. After trip to the naturopath I am back on the right path and taking the time to cook and bake for all of us properly.

I'm really loving my spices at the moment. Not sure whether it's just my body's way of wanting to warm up this winter but whatever the reason, I can't get enough! I needed to make something for afternoon tea and decided to use up some veggies at the same time. This cake used 4 medium carrots but you could use pumpkin, zucchini or even parsnips for this recipe or even a combination of these.

This was an easy and absolutely delicious cake. My boys loved it and Oscar told me it was the best cake I'd ever made! I of course loved that it go some extra carrot into them along with the amazing health benefits of cinnamon, ginger and turmeric in winter.

I left the walnuts out of this batch but if you don't have littlies add them in for some yummy crunch.

Spicy Carrot Loaf Cake

250g grated carrot
2 large eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
1 ts baking powder
1/4 ts bicarb soda
2 ts cinnamon
1 ts turmeric
1 ts ginger
1/4 ts ground cloves
pinch salt
1/2 cup natural raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius / 150 degrees fan-forced. Grease and line an 8 inch loaf pan (mine was pyrex).

Place the carrot, eggs, oil, syrup and raisins in a large bowl and mix well. Sift the flour and spices together and then add to the wet mix, folding through until only just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top.

Bake for approximately 1 hour. It will be golden brown and fragrant and the middle will spring back when pressed lightly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for half an hour before turning out onto a wire rack.

Slice and serve with butter (if not dairy free).

Chocolate Chess Pie (SRC)

Secret recipe club time! For those who are new, each member of SRC is secretly assigned a blog each month to peruse and choose a recipe to post. All is revealed on the same day and today is Group D's turn!

This month I was assigned I am a Honey Bee by Nicole. I had a brilliant time on Nicole's blog and found even though we live on opposite sides of the world we actually have a lot in common (apart from just a love of food and cooking) - we are both detail oriented, hate the cold, are morning people, think eggs Benedict is the best way to eat eggs and love Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I binge-watched the entire series again when Oscar was a baby and I was stuck on the couch feeding).

I also found similar food journeys and she has completed not one but two rounds of the Whole30. I eat pretty cleanly (no sugar or dairy and reduced grain) most of the time and am really keen to give it a go. I have bookmarked a few of Nicole's Whole30 posts to re-read when I do finally take the plunge.

So what did I end up choosing? Well it was really tough to choose and I narrowed it down to 3 - Lemony Raspberry Zucchini Bread with a Lemony Glaze, Paleo Waffled Breakfast Sandwiches and
Chocolate Chess Pie.

In the end I couldn't go past the Chocolate Chess Pie because I have seen the name around for years and wondered what on earth it had to do with chess! After a bit of research I am none the wiser (there seem to be at least 3 distinct explanations) but I am delighted to have made this delicious chocolate pie. I love that this one has cocoa powder rather than chocolate which makes it cheaper and easier to whip up.

I did make a few substitutions like using coconut oil instead of shortening in the pastry and some rice malt syrup instead of just sugar in the filling.

The taste test? It was completely delicious. The top was crispy and crackly while underneath was creamy, chocolatey and sweet without being too rich. The pastry was light and flaky and I loved the slight hint of coconut with the chocolate. The pastry was a little underdone in the middle although the filling was perfect so next time I would blind bake the pastry first to make it extra crisp.

Chocolate Chess Pie
Slightly Adapted from I am a Honey Bee

Crust:
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 ts salt
60g coconut oil, very cold and cut into pieces
60g butter, very cold and cut into pieces
4-6 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
2/3 cup rice malt syrup
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional)
4 tbs butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 ts vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten

To make the crust:

Grease a 9 inch pie dish and set aside. Keep the butter and coconut oil in the fridge until ready to use.

Place the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the coconut oil and butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Gradually add enough ice water to the mixture while pulsing until a ball of dough is about formed.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press into a disc then wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Once chilled place the dough back on a floured surface and roll out to approx 3mm thick. Add more flour if it starts to stick to the bench while you’re rolling.

Press onto the base and sides of the prepared pie dish and trim and crimp the edges as needed. Cover the pie plate with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

To make the pie:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F.

Using a stand mixer or large bowl with electric beaters, beat together the cacao, sugar, coffee powder, melted butter and syrup and beat on high speed.

Add the vanilla extract and eggs and mix on high for approximately 2-3 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes. The centre of the pie will still be a little soft but it will firm up as it cools. Leave on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing. I baked mine the day before and stored in the fridge then left at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Thanks Nicole for a great recipe and great month!

An InLinkz Link-up

Healthy Peanut Butter Slice

 

One of my all time favourite things is peanut butter and chocolate. For many years I've made Nigella's Peanut Butter Squares every Christmas and I always get requests for it. But seeing we're nowhere near Christmas and I'm baking a little healthier these days I thought it was time I tweaked the recipe and came up with my own peanut butter slice.

I had all of these ingredients in the pantry and it took probably 10 minutes to whip up which I love. It is gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free but certainly not flavour free and be warned, it is VERY rich so a little goes a long way!

Healthy Peanut Butter Slice

Crust:
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup dried pitted dates
2 tbs raw cacao
2 tbs coconut oil (solid)
pinch salt

Filling:
200g natural peanut butter
1 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs rice malt syrup
pinch salt

Topping:
1/3 cup raw cacao
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tbs rice malt syrup

Grease and line an 8 inch square brownie pan and set aside.

Place all crust ingredients in your food processor and blitz until sticky and well combined. Press into the base of the prepared tin and place in the fridge.

Wipe out the bowl then add all filling ingredients and blitz until smooth. Taste and add another pinch of salt if desired. Pour mixture over the top of the chilled base and smooth with a spatula. Place back in the fridge.

Place the topping ingredients in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and stir until smooth and well combined (TMX 3 mins/50 degrees/SP 2). Pour over the peanut butter filling and smooth with a spatula.

Place in the freezer until set. Delicious frozen but for best results remove from the freezer about 10 minutes for slicing into squares and serving.

Makes 16 pieces (or more if cut smaller squares!)

Winter Warmer - Beef, Bacon and Tomato Casserole

 I know our winters here don't really compare with the rest of the world in terms of low temperatures but jeez it's been cold for the past week! We've had an antarctic vortex which brought snow to the southern parts of Queensland and dropped the nighttime temperature to as low as 3 degrees where I am.

The thing is, I'm not made for cold weather and our house certainly isn't either. We don't have heaters or reverse cycle air-conditioning or electric blankets. All we can do is rug up and keep warm on the inside with lots of cups of tea and hearty, warming fare like this casserole.

I love my slow cooker even in summer but it winter it is a lifesaver. I had this beef, bacon and tomato casserole simmering along for a full 8 hours and the house smelt amazing. Served with some buttery mashed potato it was the perfect dinner for a cold winter's night.

Beef, Bacon and Tomato Casserole
Serves 6

1kg gravy beef or chuck casserole steak
3 rashers bacon
1 x 700ml bottle tomato passata
2 medium onions, diced
6 medium carrots, sliced into the 2 cm circles
2 ts dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaped ts homemade vegetable stock paste (optional)
2 tbs olive oil

Dice the beef into 4 cm pieces and fry off in batches in the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until browned on all sides.

Place the browned beef into the bowl of your slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients, stir, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Check for seasoning.

Serve with mashed potato and steamed greens.

Pizza-Pasta

This is another of the kid-friendly meals I found on Better Homes and Gardens a few weeks ago. It sounded easy and delicious and was a nice twist on both pizza and pasta, both of which we eat about once a fortnight.

So this dish is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, all your favorite pizza toppings on bed of pasta. So simple I can't believe I've never thought of it before! As with last time there were no quantities available as I copied it down directly from the show but I have included what I used and my method.

I knew Mr 6 would love it - he eats pretty much anything except visible onion which absolutely must be picked off even if he can't taste it. Mr 4 would be a different matter. He has slowly come around to pizza but not with sauce. He generally has a plain base with olives, pineapple and cheese and calls it 'cheesy bread.' He is also just starting to come around to pasta but definitely not with any thing else touching it.  In the end he ate some pasta from around the edges of the plate (none with melted cheese on) and a few olives but wasn't particularly impressed. Anyone else with fussy kids? I would love to hear your tips and tricks!

Pizza-Pasta
Slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

For the sauce:
2 stalks celery
2 onions
2 large carrots
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 ts dried italian herbs
1 jar tomato passata
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs rice malt syrup
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs olive oil

The toppings:
Pepperoni
Olives
Mozzarella cheese

The base:
Your favourite pasta (I used penne) cooked to al dente per packet instuctions

To make the sauce, finely chop the celery, carrot and onion and fry off with the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When it is just starting to soften, add the garlic and cook for another few minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are completely cooked and the sauce is thick and smells amazing.

You can use the sauce as is or puree it like I did using a stick blender or food processor (you will need to let it cool down a bit first).

To assemble the dish, place a serve of pasta in each bowl (ovenproof), top with a generous amount of sauce then the pepperoni, olives and cheese. Place the bowls under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Make sure you let the bowls cool down before giving them to the kids!

Serves 6

'Apple' Crumble Slice

 

This may be the most amazingly sneaky recipe I've ever made. I mean I've done lots of hidden veggies recipes before but this really takes the cake. I called it an apple crumble slice and my kids went nuts for it. But let me tell you a secret ... there isn't any apple in it.

So do you want to take a guess as to exactly what is cooking in this pan?

It's zucchini!!!

Seriously.

I found this recipe for Zucchini Pie Bars on Crazy for Crust and I was immediately intrigued but quite dubious. How on earth would zucchinis taste like apples? Especially as I wouldn't be smothering it in ice cream and caramel sauce like the original recipe. But I'm always up for a challenge so I gave it a go.

The slice consists of a pastry base which you bake until golden brown. Then the filling is diced zucchini sauteed in butter, cinnamon and sugar until just soft and then drained. Next there is a buttery crumble topping.

There was absolutely no discernible taste of zucchini. For all intents and purposes it was an apple slice, although perhaps a little less sweet than normal. The crust and crumble were crisp and buttery and the filling was soft and lightly spiced with cinnamon and lemon. My boys absolutely devoured it, asking for seconds and thirds.

So do I feel a little guilty about the deception? Not even a little bit. It is totally delicious and my extremely fussy 4 year old actually ate a serve of vegetables. Win!

'Apple' Crumble Slice
Adapted from Crazy for Crust

For the Crust:
125g softened butter
1 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 ts salt

For the Filling:
3 large zucchini, peeled and diced
2 tbs butter
2 tbs coconut sugar
1 ts cinnamon
zest 1/2 lemon

For the Topping:
125 softened butter
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup white spelt flour
1/2 ts cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 ts salt

Line a 20x30cm slice pan with baking paper. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

To prepare the crust, place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. It may look dry but if it sticks together when you squeeze a handful it is ready. Press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 13 minutes.

To make the filling, melt the butter and sugar together in a frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the zucchini, cinnamon and lemon zest and cook, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes or until the zucchini is just starting to soften. Remove from the heat and drain until ready to use.

While the zucchini is cooking prepare the topping. Place all ingredients into the food processor and pulse until crumbly.

Remove the hot crust from the oven and scatter the cooked zucchini carefully over the top before sprinkling the topping evenly over the top. Bake for around 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely in the pan before slicing into bars and serving. Can be stored in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container or up to 1 month in the freezer.

Sticky Date Muffins for my mum

So today would have been my mum's 64th birthday and it also marks 7 years to the day since her funeral. With each anniversary I think maybe it will get a little easier ... but it never does. I had some fun with my boys today but I was also snappy and exhausted and tears were always just under the surface.

Mum and I didn't always see eye to eye, especially when I was a teenager but she was always my confidante, the one person in the world I could guarantee would be on my side. She would literally drop everything if I needed her. That's what mums are for right?

I have loved baking since I was little and mum and I spent many hours in the kitchen together. I think she was relieved though when I got older and wanted to take over more of the cooking duties as I don't she really enjoyed it all that much. She loved tasting everything I baked and she would have loved these sticky date muffins which I made today in her memory. They are pure comfort food, like a big warm hug, and I was comforted enjoying them with my boys this afternoon.

"Life has to end" she said. "Love doesn't."

-Mitch Albom

Sticky Date Muffins 

250g dried pitted dates
400mls water
2 tbs brandy
1 tbs bicarb soda
100g butter
1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1 ts vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
2 ts cinnamon
2 ts dried ginger
3 eggs
250g white spelt flour, sifted with 3 ts baking powder
6 extra dates, split in half

Line a 12 cup muffin tray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place the dates, water and brandy. Bring to the simmer for 5 minutes then add the bicarb and stir well. It will foam and froth up. Add the orange zest and vanilla then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

In a stand mixer or a large bowl with electric beaters, cream the butter and add the syrup a splodge at a time, until well incorporated.

Next add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold through half the flour together with the cinnamon and ginger, then half the cooled date mixture and repeat with the remainder.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tray and top each with half a dried date.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and springing back in the middle (mine were done at 18 mins but it depends on your oven so check once they start to smell amazing). Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray before turning out. Enjoy warm for dessert with ice-cream (if you're not dairy free) or at room temperature with a cup of tea or coffee for afternoon tea.

Makes 12. Suitable to freeze.

Apricot Chicken

When I was growing up, apricot chicken was one of my favourite dinners. There's just something so delicious about that combination of sweet and savoury.

Last week on Better Homes and Gardens, Fast Ed did a series of 'kid-friendly' dishes which included apricot chicken and I realised my kids have never tried it. This is an updated version of the one I would have had growing up, which almost certainly would have included a packet of french onion soup mix!

The boys actually love watching BHG with me. Oscar really likes the gardening and pet segments, Charlie likes the building and of course we all love the cooking. So when we saw this recipe and the boys wanted to try it, of course we had to.

I copied it down directly from the show but you can view the video with the recipe here. It doesn't give all the exact quantities so I have included what I used below. The recipe said to use a rice and quinoa blend which I have seen around but never tried. As it was on special this week we got a bag and it was great. Really filling and much more interesting and nutritious than regular rice.

Fast Ed's Apricot Chicken
Serves 6

3 tbs butter
2 leeks, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 x 400ml tin apricot nectar
400ml chicken stock
1 x tin apricot halves
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chives
rice and quinoa to serve

Melt 1 tbs of the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat and saute the leeks until they are starting to soften. Add the crushed garlic and cook together until the leeks are tender and collapsed. Remove from the pan.

Dust the chicken pieces in flour and set aside. Cook your rice or quinoa using your preferred method and keep warm until ready to serve.

Add another 1 tbs of butter to the pan and fry off the chicken in 2 batches until it is well browned. Use the remaining 1 tbs of butter for the second batch of chicken pieces. Return the leek mixture and all the chicken to the pan and pour in the apricot nectar and chicken stock. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened a little. Check for seasoning and sprinkle in some fresh chopped chives just before serving.

In a separate non-stick pan over medium-high heat, place the apricot halves in, cut side down, and fry until golden brown. Remove and keep warm.

Serve the apricot chicken with rice or quinoa and the fried apricot halves.

The taste test ... we loved this! My 1yo and 6yo went absolutely nuts for it and wanted seconds and then thirds. This is definitely going into our rotation of meals.

Saffron and Cardamom Sweet Buns (SRC)

It's Secret Recipe Club time! We are now officially halfway through the year, can you believe it??

This month for SRC I was assigned the fabulous Lavender and Lovage by Karen. Karen is truly living the dream, dividing her time between the UK and the South West of France where she runs her own cookery school! I've long had a love-affair with France, learning the language in high school and enjoying a 3 month homestay with a family in Brittany when I was 17. So as you can imagine I had a great time on Karen's blog this month, reveling in some truly delicious food and stunning photography.

Being the middle of Winter here I was drawn to some hearty and traditional dishes like her Provence Beef Casserole and Chicken, Sausage and Vegetable Hotpot, and I have bookmarked her Victorian Epiphany Tart with 9 different types of jams and preserves to make at Christmas time. I was also really tempted by her Cauliflower Pizza Crust as it is the nicest looking version that I've seen.

In the end though I simply couldn't go past her Saffron and Cardamom sweet buns, which are baked in Sweden (and Scandinavia) to celebrate St Lucy's day and the Winter Solstice on the 13th December. Now before you wonder why I would choose to make this recipe when it is nowhere near December, it actually makes perfect sense: here in Australia our Winter Solstice is in June and this year it coincidentally falls today on reveal day (at 2.39am to be exact!).

Clearly it was meant to be!

I baked these just yesterday and it was a perfect Winter weekend baking project as they take a few hours to make. If you've made any sort of bread you would have no problems making these. And just look at that gorgeous sunny colour! The saffron was a real splurge - my tiny 1 gram container cost $11!! but I didn't use all of it and now need to think of something suitably special to make with what's left.

And the verdict? We LOVED these! So delicious, not too sweet and with that beautiful fragrance from the saffron and cardamom. My 6yo declared that I was 'a chef and should work in a bakery.' High praise indeed. In all seriousness these were sensational and I will definitely be baking them again, although perhaps saving them for the festive season as they are a bit of a luxury.

Lussakatter - St Lucia Saffron and Cardamom Sweet Buns
Recipe from Lavender and Lovage

300mls milk (I used rice milk)
1 ts saffron threads
500g strong white bread flour
7g sachet dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
100g golden caster sugar
10 cardamom pods (seeds removed and crushed in a mortar and pestle)
75g butter, melted
1 large free-range egg
1 small free-range egg (extra, for the glaze)
24 raisins

Grease 2 large baking sheets and set aside. Place the saffron threads and the milk in a small pot and warm gently over low heat. Remove from the heat and cool to tepid.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and cardamom seeds. Make a well in the middle and add the saffron milk, beaten egg and melted butter.

Stir together before turning it out onto a floured surface and kneading for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease the bowl you already used before returning the dough, covering it with a clean tea towel and leaving it to prove in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Knock the dough back and turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Take each piece in turn and roll it out into a long sausage shape before twisting it tightly into an ‘S’ shape.

Place the shaped dough onto the prepared trays, cover with a tea towel and leave them to prove in a warm place for approximately 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C / 400 degrees F during this time.

Once risen, brush the tops with the extra beaten egg and then push a raisin into the middle of the scroll on each end – 2 raisins per bun (see photos).

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until dark golden brown and sound hollow when tapped from underneath.

Cool on a wire rack before serving. Best eaten the same day.

Makes 12 buns.

Thank you Karen for a truly special recipe and a wonderful month!
 

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Fudgy (almost) Grain-free Chocolate Brownies

I have been on the search for the perfect 'healthy' brownie for more than a year now. I've tried literally dozens of recipes, and a few of them have actually been pretty good like this Healthier Chocolate Brownie.

But I still hadn't found one I was completely happy with in terms of both taste and ingredients. Until now. This brownie recipe comes from Eat Drink Paleo where Irena describes them as the brownies that blew her away. And now that I've made them I completely agree!

Now my husband would say that the best part of a brownie is the crispy edges but I actually prefer the fudgy middle and that's what these brownies deliver unlike so many others.

My kids loved these and they disappeared so quickly I barely had a chance to take a photo. They had no idea there was sweet potato in them, and you certainly can't taste it, but that must be what makes the texture so fudgy and delicious.

The only change I made was to use rice malt syrup instead of honey. This makes them fructose free but no longer paleo as rice is obviously a grain, hence the (almost) grain-free of the title!

These would make a fabulous dessert served with berries and coconut cream or dairy-free ice-cream but we had them simply dusted with extra cacao powder.

The original recipe said to bake for 25-30 minutes but this made my first batch too dry so second time around I baked for just 20 minutes and they were perfect.

Fudgy (almost) Grain-free Chocolate Brownies 
Slightly adapted from Eat Drink Paleo

1 medium sweet potato (approx 2-3 cups grated)
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup rice malt syrup
2 ts vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 ts baking powder
1 ts bicarbonate of soda
2 1/2 tbs coconut flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C / 160 degrees fan-forced. Grease and line an 8 inch square baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl, place the sweet potato, eggs, vanilla, syrup and coconut oil and mix together until well combined. Next stir through the cacao, baking powder and bicarb soda, and then add the coconut flour mixing until only just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the tin. Serve dusted with extra cacao powder and some berries.

Vegie-loaded Spaghetti Bologanise

I can't believe that in 7 years blogging I've never even considered posting my spaghetti bolognaise recipe before. I mean everyone and their mum has the best recipe out there, can you really improve on perfection? I changed my mind though as there has been a theme in my baking and cooking lately of surprise ingredients and hidden veggies and thought it might be interesting to others.

I just recently spilled the beans to my cauliflower-hating husband that he's been happily chowing down on cauliflower rice without even noticing! I did feel a little guilty about that but honestly if he enjoyed it then most kids will. But that's a recipe for another day.

The basic secret to my bolognaise sauce is pureeing a whole heap of veggies until they are very fine and cooking it very slowly for maximum flavour. By fully incorporating the vegetables into the sauce there are no weird textures or bits for the kids to pick. out. It is all just tomato saucy goodness!

To be honest this is easiest in the Thermomix as it chops, cooks and then purees all in the same pot however a food processor and stick blender will do the job as well.

I always make a big batch. The recipe below makes 2 full dinners plus leftovers for our family of 5 easily. We always use half on the night is made and freeze the rest for later. One will be spaghetti bologanise and then the next will be lasagne.

The rest of the family loves spaghetti but I will often have my bolognaise sauce on a pile of roasted pumpkin and greens. Makes my tummy happier and I get even more veggies in one meal which is a good thing.

If you have fussy kids (or husbands!) give this one a go :)

My Veggie-loaded Spaghetti Bolognaise

1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 zucchinis
2 red capsicums
1-2 cups greens (kale, spinach, broccoli stems etc)
1kg beef mince (or a beef/pork/veal blend)
1 x 750ml jar tomato passata
2 tbs olive oil
a big handful of fresh herbs (basil/oregano/parsley) roughly chopped or 1tbs dried Italian herb mix
1 heaped tbs homemade veggie stock paste
salt and pepper to taste

-------------------------------

TMX - place the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and capsicum into the bowl and chop for 10 seconds / SP 5-8, using the spatula to stir if needed. Add the oil, herbs, stock paste and passata and cook for 20 minutes / 100 degrees / SP 2. Scrap down the sides and puree for 1 minute / SP 5-9. Check for seasoning. While the sauce is cooking, brown the mince in a large pan. When the sauce is done either add it to the pan and simmer together for at least 30 minutes, or place the mince and sauce plus an extra jar of passata into the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

-------------------------------

Using a food processor or by hand, grate the carrots, celery, zucchini and capsicums and then set aside.

Place a large pot over medium heat and add 1 tbs oil. Brown the mince and then remove it from the pan, draining the fat if you wish (I don't bother).

Add the remaining 1 tbs oil along with the chopped onion and garlic and saute until translucent.

Add the grated veggies, passata, stock and herbs and simmer for around 30 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and it smells amazing.

Using a stick blender or food processor, blitz the sauce until it is completely smooth.

Return to the pot, add the browned mince, give it a good stir together and simmer for as long as you can (I usually do this step in the crockpot and allow it to cook on low for 4-6 hours) but even an hour would be good. Check for seasoning.

Serve with pasta or veggie noodles.

Makes LOTS.

Winter Spice Biscuits

After making these biscuits twice in as many days I have decided they must be worth sharing! I'm not sure if its just the cold weather but my boys have all been ravenous this past week and I've been searching for something tasty and healthy to fill them up.

Apart from warming soups and stews, my other favourite things to have in Winter are spices. With ginger, cinnamon, cloves and molasses these smell quite Christmassy to me but really why wait until Christmas to enjoy something so delicious!

My kids absolutely devoured these biscuits. They have a texture quite like brandy snaps - being thin, crisp and lacy around the edges and a little chewier in the middle. They are also gluten and dairy free (and virtually grain-free as well apart from the small amount of rice syrup) and very low in fructose.

Winter Spice Biscuits
Recipe by me

150g almond meal
25g chia seeds
20g molasses
50g rice malt syrup
50g coconut oil
1 ts vanilla extract
1 ts cinnamon
1 ts ginger
1/4 ts ground cloves
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Line 2 trays with baking paper and set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed.

Roll mixture into balls and place onto prepared trays, allowing room to spread.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown (they will be very soft but will firm as they cool). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approx 18.

Simple Tomato Soup

Well Winter has well and truly arrived! I have shivered my way through today and actually haven't felt warm since I got out of bed this morning! My favourite thing about Winter (apart from the clothes - jeans, boots, scarves, jackets - I'm in heaven) is the food. Nothing warms up the house like having a soup simmering on the stove and some bread baking in the oven.

Tonight we had this really simple tomato soup with some focaccia. The simple things really are the best.

I've made this soup a few times and I always wish we had more. Next time I will make a double batch so I can enjoy it for a few days. Mr fussy 4yo had a tiny little taste and declared he didn't like it, but the fact he even tasted it is huge progress. The rest of us loved it, even my 19mth old who loves his focaccia stirred into the soup to get mushy!

Simple Tomato Soup

1/2 brown onion, roughly chopped
3 big cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2tbs extra virgin olive oil
1kg very ripe tomatoes, halved and core removed
1 tbs tomato paste
1tbs rice malt syrup
1 tbs veggie stock paste
pepper

Heat up the oil in a medium pot over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes or until they start to soften. Add the remainder of the ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes completely collapse and the onion is soft. Use a stick blender to blitz until smooth. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste (I only ever need to add pepper as my homemade stock paste is salty enough).

Serves 4.

Wholemeal Vanilla Loaf Cake

Sometimes you just need cake. And with cake it really doesn't need to be fancy to be good. This may be a bit plain in the looks department but it is moist, buttery and scented with vanilla and really, who could ask for more?

We ate ours warm from the oven with lots of my Roasted Strawberry Chia Seed Jam. Absolutely delicious!!!

Wholemeal Vanilla Loaf Cake
Adapted from Lisa Corduff

100g rice malt syrup
130g butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
250g wholemeal flour
150g milk (I used homemade almond and coconut milk)

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C / 160 degrees fan-forced. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper and set aside.

Place the butter and syrup into the thermomix bowl and beat for 1 min / SP 4.

Add eggs one at a time while mixing at SP 4 until well combined.

Add all other ingredients and mix for 30 secs / SP 4, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

If you don't have a thermomix just use a food processor, stand mixer or electric beaters and follow the same instructions. It may just take a little longer for each step!

Fantastic Cuban Sandwiches (SRC)

It's Secret Recipe Club time again and that means all my fellow Group Ds are revealing their chosen recipes today! This month I was really excited to be assigned Making Miracles by Rebekah. If you haven't checked out Rebekah's blog yet you really should because this woman is AMAZING! Rebekah has been a surrogate 3 times since 2006 (and currently on pregnancy #4) and started her blog to keep a record of her surrogacy experiences. Since then it has definitely evolved to include her own family and lots and lots of food!

I love the names of her recipes too, it makes them really hard to resist - how about some Amazingly Easy and Delicious Ham and Potato Soup, Emergency Chicken or the Best Steak Marinade in Existence?

I nearly went with the Bacon-Wrapped Potato Wedges but in the end though the Fantastic Cuban Sandwiches won me over not only because they sounded absolutely delicious, but because I remembered seeing the movie Chef  last year (did anyone else see it? we loved it!) which was all about Cuban street food including the famous el sandwich Cubano!

This is a super easy meal which takes only minutes to prepare and then the slow-cooker does all the work for you. I use my slow-cooker a few times every week so this was perfect for us. Every time I cook meat like this I wonder why I don't do it more often because it's just SO good! Tender, juicy and packed with flavour.

The house smelt amazing all day while the pork was cooking and when it came the taste did not disappoint! I don't eat dairy and I did feel like I was missing out a bit without all that luscious melty cheese but it still tasted fantastic. We all loved these and even better, because I did such a big roast we had lots of leftover pork for lunch the next day and froze the rest for another dinner a week later.

Fantastic Cuban Sandwiches
Recipe from Making Miracles

For the roast:
1 x 2kg pork shoulder (this makes lots of leftovers)
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 ts oregano or marjoram
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs white vinegar
3 ts salt

For the sandwiches:
Long bread rolls
Sliced Swiss cheese
Sliced ham
Sliced pickles
Honey mustard
Mayonnaise 

To prepare the roast, combine all marinade ingredients together and rub over the pork before covering well and leaving it in the fridge overnight. The next morning place in your crock pot on low for 8-12 hours (mine had about 10 1/2 hours and was perfect).

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls in half and spread a thin layer of the mustard and mayonnaise on the insides. Layer the cheese, ham, pickles and roast pork on one half. Top with another slice of cheese and then the other half of the roll.

Press sandwiches in a panini press until bread is crispy and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat.

Thanks for a great recipe Rebekah. I loved spending some time on your blog! :)

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